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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Belgrade initiates further negotiations on future Kosovo status

Belgrade, 19 May 2006

Members of Belgrade’s team for political talks on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija Slobodan Samardzic and Leon Kojen delivered today to the ambassadors of countries of the Contact Group and representatives of the European Commission an initiative for conducting further negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija.

Leon Kojen, left, and Slobodan Samardzic

The initiative, which was signed by Serbian President Boris Tadic and Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, has been forwarded to foreign affairs ministries of countries of the Contact Group, as well as to UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari and to EU High Representative Javier Solana.

This document proposes an efficient manner of conducting further negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija.

Advisor to the Serbian Prime Minister Slobodan Samardzic said at a press conference that the initiative has been submitted because the negotiation process between Belgrade and Pristina concerning the decentralisation of Kosovo-Metohija, being conducted in Vienna, has been going on for six months, and no concrete progress has been made.

According to Samardzic, Tadic and Kostunica have directed a proposal to the Contact Group and Martti Ahtisaari that in the further course of negotiations on Kosovo-Metohija a move should be made to examine in detail the future status of the southern province, which should include talks on decentralisation within its framework.

Advisor to Serbian President Leon Kojen explained that Tadic and Kostunica proposed that direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina on Kosovo’s status should begin with talks at the highest level and would later continue to consider four issues concerning crucial elements on the province’s status.

Kojen said that Kosovo’s constitution is among those elements, including the political system and rights of communities, general security, crucial economic and financial issues and decentralisation.

After one or two rounds of talks on the four issues, talks on the province’s status should follow, he added.